The Foxes Hunt The Hounds
by Burned So Bright
Summary: Transferring to Dauntless was going to be hard, that much she figured, and initiation would be even worse. She just never though it would bring her face to face with a cold blooded killer and a certain malicious leader.
1. Release the Doves

**Oh look, my first Divergent fanfiction. This idea came to me one night while I was trying to sleep and its just stuck with me. So, I decided to write it out. This is set in the 'in-between year', as I've noticed a lot of people calling it. Reviews are appreciated.  
**

* * *

From where I lay on the floor in my room, I can just barely make out my mother's voice. It's muffled and I can't quite catch what she said, but it got my sister to laugh. If this had been any other night, I would be down there with them; I'd be curled up on the couch, watching as they flipped through some random book from the shelf and point to objects on the page that stuck out to them.

But it's not just any night. It's the night before the Choosing Ceremony. Tomorrow will be the day in which every thing will change. Tomorrow I will no longer wear blue and seek knowledge.

Instead, I will dress in black and walk among the brave.

The results of my test had followed me throughout the entire day; that nine letter word my administrator whispered echoed through my mind over and over. The simulation haunted me as well. Every time my eyes closed, I could feel the weight of the knife in my left hand and could hear the growl of the dog as it prepared to attack.

My stomach would churn when I recalled the cry of the child as she stared at my blood covered hands. I don't feel bad for lying to her. I feel bad that the lie came so easily.

"Ana?"

Despite how soft the voice is, I still jump. Pushing myself into a sitting position, I can faintly make out my mother's pirouette in the doorway. "What are you doing on the floor?" She questions, widening the door to allow more of the hallway light to flood in.

"I'm on the floor? I could have swore I was on the ceiling."

The look on her face is a look of disapproval. Sarcasm is seen as illogical in the eyes of the Erudite and very much frowned upon.

Sometimes, I'm too sarcastic for my own good. This is one of those times.

With a sigh, I pull myself from the ground and move to sit on the bed. She joins me a moment later, her hands folding in her lap as she sits. In the silence that settles between us, I realize the rest of the house is quiet as well. Elizabeth must have been sent to bed.

"Tomorrow," As soon as my mother begins to speak, she stops. She looks as if she's in deep thought, and maybe she is. A pang of guilt tears through my chest. Tomorrow, I will be leaving her. My mother will be losing her first born. But it is not just her loss. Elizabeth will be losing her older sister. My heart aches at this realization.

"I will love you no matter what happens tomorrow at the ceremony."

I can only nod. I do not trust my voice, fearing that it will fail me if I try to speak.

She rises slowly, presses a soft kiss to my forehead and then retreats into the wall, closing the door behind her.

"I love you too," I mumble into the darkness.

* * *

The next morning comes all too quickly and I find myself struggling to keep my eyes open as I take a seat at the kitchen table. My mother is saying something, but I can't hear her due to the sleep still fogging up my mind. I think she might have said something about pancakes, but I can't be too sure.

It's the sound of my sister's footsteps that drags me out of my sleep induced haze. Elizabeth rounds the corner a second later. Seeing her already showered and dressed for the day makes me wonder how long she's been up. Perhaps she didn't sleep at all. That would make two of us.

Mom sets a plate down in front of me, saying that I should eat before we leave. But I can't even bring myself to take just a bite. Instead, I return to my room and change out of my pajamas into standard Erudite wear; a white blouse, blue blazer and black slacks. I tug my hair back into a pony tail as I descend the stairs.

Like every other day, my mother stops me as I head out the door. It's always because of the same reason — I can never get my pony tail high enough.  
Well, it's more because I don't want to; the higher the pony tail, the worse the headache.

* * *

It takes about a half an hour to get from Erudite Headquarters to the Hub by walking and about fifteen minutes by bus, depending on where else it needs to stop. I end up deciding that we should walk

I can tell it takes both my mother and Elizabeth by surprise. Normally, I'm all for taking the bus. But today, I want a little more time alone with them before I have to take my place among the other sixteen years at the ceremony.

As we walk, Elizabeth and our mother talk about the new research being funded by Jeanine Matthews. I try to submerge myself in the conversation, but I end up trying to count how many other Erudite are walking like us.

By time we've reached the Hub, I've counted about thirty other Erudite. There are more, I'm sure of it. I kind of lost count once or twice along the way.  
The elevator ride to the twentieth floor is quiet, except for the small murmurings between the Amity who had gotten on after we did. I can't help but shuffle my feet as my teeth dig into my cheek. I absolutely _hate_ elevators.

My first time in one was met with a two hour long emergency stop at the city's hospital. I was only six at the time. That was almost my first encounter with a pregnant woman.

The ding signifying that we've reached our destination is like music to my ears. I follow the pack of Amity into the room in which the ceremony will be held. It's constructed of three circles. The first is where we will stand, the sixteen years olds who will be choosing. The second is for our families who we may or may not leave. Lastly, the third encases the five faction bowls.

The faction in charge of this year's Choosing Ceremony is Amity. A woman stands within the last circle, conversing quietly with who I assume to be another faction's leader. She wears a long dress that swishes whenever she shifts her weight. The deep red fabric brings out the harsh scar on the side of her face. Her eyes suddenly meet mine from across the room and I turn my gaze to Elizabeth. We now stand in front of the Erudite seating section. My mother wears a small smile, one that makes me feel like she knows just whats about to happen.

"See you later, okay?" Elizabeth mumbles, pulling me into a hug. There will be no later and I know this, but I nod anyways and return the hug. I give my mother one last hug before sorting myself alphabetically in the line of soon-to-be-initiates.

Once everyone has settled, the Amity woman begins the ceremony. The speech she reads is long and my attention doesn't last. My eyes wander through the crowd, faction by faction, until they rest upon my small family. Elizabeth seems captivated by the speech, but my mother is looking straight at me.

I force a smile. I know she can see right through it.

* * *

As the speech comes to a close, I try counting the people standing before me. Many of them shift or are looking around, which makes it hard to count. There has to be at least twenty or so.

The Amity woman starts calling out names, reading from a small piece of paper in her hands. Most of the twenty before me stick to their born faction, as expected. A girl named Lydia is the first to transfer.

She _was_ Erudite.

_Now,_ she's Dauntless.

I remember seeing her around before. Mostly in the Erudite library. We always exchanged and recommended each other books, but never once did we talk.

The sound of my name being called out sends electric shocks through my body and I freeze in place. I meet the woman's eyes again, but this time, I cannot look away. Slowly, I push myself forward until I stand before her. She offers a small smile as I take the knife from her. I glance down to watch as the blade slices my skin, but I find myself staring at the Erudite and Dauntless bowls instead. They are situated right next to each other.

The water is cloudy red.

Blood chars on the lit coals.

I realize I'm not ready for this. My heart is racing in my chest and I have to force myself to breathe. I should have thought about this more last night. But I didn't. I was hell-bent on leaving home and joining Dauntless. Now, I was hesitating.

Erudite is my home. It's been my home for sixteen years. It could be my home for the rest of my life. It's where my family is, where they will always be. But I couldn't truly be me. I can't be sarcastic or wear my hair down the way I like. I have to be perfect. I have to be smart. Always state facts and always be right.

Yet, Dauntless is where I belong, according to my test. I could be myself there. Sarcastic and wrong and free.

It would be smart to hold my palm out over the cloudy water representing Erudite and return home with my family.

But it would be brave to let my blood sizzle on the lit coals and leave to face the unknown.

Am I smart or am I brave?

I _am_ smart.

But I am also brave.

So _very_ brave.


	2. The Road to Ruin

There is this certain warmth that the Dauntless just seem to radiate. I could feel it as soon as my blood dripped onto the lit coals in the bowl below. It was their thundering applause and unnecessary cheers, their wide smiles as I fell into place behind them with the other transfers. It was the excitement evident on their faces as we broke from the ceremony, their infectious laughter as we race down the stairs.

When I exit the stairwell on the first floor, I no longer hear laughter and jokes. Instead, I hear several angry shouts and groans. I understand the sudden shift in mood when thunder crashes somewhere in the distance. Sometime within the last hour or so, it had begun raining. From the unpleasant looks on the Dauntless standing in front of me, it's raining pretty hard.

A Dauntless-born standing beside me reminds those at the front of the pack that if we don't get going, we'll miss the train. This seems to get them going and within seconds, we are once again breaking out in a full sprint.

By time we are gathered along one of the city's train tracks, all of us are soaked through and shivering. The rain has let up some since we left the Hub, but not by much. I force my way from the back of the group to the middle, where I greet the three Amity transfers. I remember how surprised everyone was when they transferred. It's unnatural to have just one transfer to Dauntless, but three in one ceremony? It's unheard of.

They smile as I stop beside them. I wonder what made them all decide to switch factions. Did they make a pact that they would all transfer to Dauntless? Or that where one goes, the other two would follow?

In Erudite, we are encouraged to ask any and all questions. But I am no longer in Erudite, so I keep my curiosity to myself. Instead, I wordlessly slip my blazer off my shoulders and hand it to the smallest of the three. I can see how bad she is shivering and she quickly takes it from my grasp.

When she opens her mouth to say something, her words are drowned out by the sound of a train horn. Over the shoulder of the male Amity, I see many of the Dauntless-borns start running.

I glance over my shoulder at the oncoming train.

"We have to jump on."

* * *

Getting on the train was absolute hell. I didn't exactly have a lot of momentum when I threw myself towards the open car door and the handle beside it was slick from the rain; one of my hands immediately slid off as soon as I grabbed a hold of it. I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes.

Then a hand grabbed mine and I was being pulled into the car.

I let myself fall to the floor as soon as I was fully inside. My chest was tight due to the panic nearly falling had caused and my shoulder hurts from where it had slammed into the side of the train when I jumped.

"You alright?"

Pushing myself back to my feet, I run my fingers through my disheveled hair as I mutter a simple, "Yeah, I'm fine."

The source of the voice is a male dressed in Candor's black and white. I assume he's also the one who helped pull me in. I can see the concern in his eyes, but I shrug it off.

"Thanks for—"

My words are cut off by a anguished cry. I swing around to see where it had come from and my eyes fall upon the Amity kids I had been standing with before.

Except I can only see two of them.

I immediately lean my head out the car door, like so many of the others are doing, and see the smaller Amity slowing to jog. It's obvious the train is too far out of her reach. She wouldn't make it even if she tried.

The last thing I see before retreating back into the car is the blue blazer I'd given her as it slowly fades to nothing in the pouring down rain.

* * *

"It's freezing."

I jump at the voice in my ear. I can't help but smile when I realize it's the same transfer who had pulled me into the car. With how close he is now standing to me, I can see the intricate textures in his eyes, which happen to be a gorgeous color of brown.

"I would rather be in the rain," I mutter, running my fingers through my hair. I had taken it down from the pony tail to see if it would dry any quicker.

It doesn't.

"I'm Gale, by the way," He hold out his hand out as he introduces himself, a smile appearing on his face.

I shake his hand as I say, "I'm Ana. Thank you, ya know, for earlier."

He nods as if it wasn't much of a big deal.

Silence falls between us, not that I really mind. It would be nice if it wasn't for the howling wind outside.

I spent the next ten minutes examining the other transfers. I briefly watch the two Amity grieve the loss of their friend and how two other Erudite are lost in some heated debate. I find Lydia, the first to of our group to make the transfer to Dauntless. Her long hair, which had been down during the Ceremony, is now pulled back and she stands beside the second door of the car, watching the passing scenery.

When she looks my way, I move on. My eyes scan through the train car until a Candor catches my eye. Even from where I'm sitting, I know he looks exactly like Gale. The only difference I can see is that he doesn't hold himself the way Gale does. While Gale stands tall, his chin up and eyes gleaming, this impostor stands with his shoulders slumped, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His features seem sharper than Gale's as well, but I think that's mostly due to the frown he currently wears.

They're twins, I realize.

When I go to wake Gale up to ask him about it, I'm interrupted by a voice from the next car over.

"They're jumping!"

* * *

My landing on the roof is ungraceful, to say the least. I land on my feet, but I fall off balance and end up skidding on my knees a good couple of feet.

I have just enough time to pull myself from the ground and watch Gale lurch himself from the train. His landing is much better than mine. He doesn't even fall. _Asshole._

His brother quickly follows behind. He also lands on his feet, but falls just like I did. They join me a couple seconds later to watch the remaining transfers make the jump.

One of them — a Candor — doesn't make it across the gap.

Instead, he slams into the side of the roof. I can hear his ribs crack.

I can also hear when his body hits the ground seven stories below.

Nobody moves, nobody talks.I don't think anyone even breathes.

We all just stand, staring at the spot where he fell from.

"Listen up," A man calls from the other side of the roof, beckoning all of us who remain to walk over. The first thing I notice about him is not that he looks older than the Dauntless pack standing by him, it's that he's standing on the ledge of the roof. I cringe, imagining him tripping and falling to his death like the Candor boy. "I'm Max, one of the leaders here at Dauntless."

_One_ of the leaders?

I glance at Gale, who stands at my right. He's wearing the same frown as I am. I turn back to Max.

"Several stories below is the members entrance to our compound. If you can't muster the will to jump off, you don't belong here."

His words are like a punch to the stomach. We just jumped. How is it any fair that we have to jump again? But this isn't about fairness. It's about bravery.

Max's eyes scan the crowd and while the others all look away, I find myself staring back at him. Suddenly, I'm no longer on the roof, but back in the simulation, staring down the vicious dog as it prepared to attack.

I blink quickly and the image fades away.

"Well? Someone has to go first." I can see half the initiates flinch at his voice.

Yet, no one moves.

"Is there something at the bottom?" Lydia is the first one to speak since our arrival, besides Max. Of course it's in the form of a question.

Max merely shrugs in reply.

I can feel the tension in the air thicken.

A hand suddenly grabs my shoulder and shoves me forward. I stumble, trying to keep myself from falling flat on my face. The corners of Max's lips curl into a smile and I swallow hard. Did someone just force me into jumping first?

It seems so because Max steps down from the ledge a second later and motions me forward. I want to tell him that I don't want to first, but my throat is so dry that I can't find my voice. Maybe that's for the best. Backing down now would be a sign of cowardice and I don't want to be seen as a coward.

Taking a deep breath, I climb onto the ledge. The image of the Candor falling to his death flashes in my mind and I push it away. That's not something I want to think about. Especially not when I'm standing at the very edge of a seven story building about to jump into a large hole that looks like it leads straight to the core of the Earth.

"Today, initiate," Max snaps from behind me.

I close my eyes. _Three seconds_, I think, _I get three seconds to be afraid and then I jump._

My eyes open and I look down at the entrance.

_One._

When did it stop raining?

_Two._

Who shoved me?

_Three._

Jump.


	3. No More Yesterdays, Only Tomorrows

**I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I'm having a blast planning and writing it out. It's actually quite sadistic. Remember to leave a review and have a happy Easter!**

* * *

The fall is over before I can even fully register it happening. The tension of the net I fall into breaks as my body slams into it and it launches me back into the air once or twice before stilling to cradle my body. At first, I'm stunned into silence. My heart is racing and I can hear the blood pumping in my ears. My back stings from the first impact with the net, but I can barely feel it due to the adrenaline now pumping through my veins. Then, a laugh bubbles up in my throat, but it sounds more like a sob.

In my peripheral vision, I notice multiple pairs of hands stretched out my way; I grab a hold of the closest one and slide off the side of the net. My knees nearly buckle as I land on the wooden platform below. Apparently, I've lost all control over my muscles sometime between jumping from the roof and falling into the net. The woman who had helped me down from the net wraps an arm around my waist to keep me from collapsing. Her laughter rumbles in her chest, vibrating against my shoulder. I find myself laughing along with her.

"Did you get pushed or something?" She questions, eyes gleaming down at me with pure amusement.

Once I realize that the strength in my legs has returned, I pull away from her.

"I wish." That gets everyone to start laughing again.

"What's your name?"

"Ana. My name is Ana."

By then, another Dauntless has stepped up beside the dark-haired woman. His arms are crossed over his chest, a smirk on his face. The sunlight spilling in from the entrance above makes his dark blue eyes shine.

"Make the announcement, Four. Before the next initiate jumps."

Four turns his head over his right shoulder and calls out, "First jumper— _Ana_!"

When the cheering starts up, I realize that there are more people in the cavern than just us who are standing around the net. A grin spreads across my face as I scan the crowd of Dauntless. Many of them are pumping their fists in the air, some are clapping. One, in particular, stands out among the rest. He isn't cheering like the others are. Instead, he's just standing there, hands clasped together at his waist, head slightly cocked to the side. It looks almost as if he's bored.

I wonder who he is.

A shrill scream echoes through the cavern, pulling my attention away from the grey-eyed stranger. I turn just in time to see a streak of blue falling through the air before slamming into the net. It's Lydia. She's laughing as Four helps her down to the platform, but as she comes to stand beside me, I notice she's shaking.

Once all of the initiates have jumped, Four and the dark-haired woman lead us down a narrow tunnel. As we walk, I entertain myself by gliding my fingers along the wall which happens to be made out of stone. I nearly slam into the initiate in front of me when he suddenly stops, but I catch myself before I do. I can't say the same for the person behind me, who trips over herself and ends up headbutting my shoulder. She mutters a weak apology. I just shrug it off.

"Alright, this is where we separate. Dauntless-borns are with me. I assume you don't need to be shown around." It's the woman who speaks, a laugh quickly following her statement. I'm pushed to the side as a Dauntless-born who had been standing behind me moves to follow the rest of their group into the shadows of the compound. I glance around at the group of transfers. I count a total of ten.

We started with twelve.

"Most of the time I work in the control room, but for the next few weeks, I am your instructor," Four's voice cuts through my thoughts, which I'm thankful for. "My name is Four."

I shift my weight, feeling extremely uncomfortable as Lydia scoffs and one of the Candor transfers asks, "Four? As in the number four?"

"Exactly. Now, if you'd follow me, we'll be heading into the Pit."

* * *

After being shown around the Pit and the Chasm, Four takes us through a rather large hole in the wall, which just so happens to be the commissary. It's packed full with men and woman of all ages, all dressed head-to-toe in black. When they take notice of our arrival, they stand and start clapping. Some even shout, others stomp their feet. All the noise they can make is just impeccable.

Gale, who now stands beside me, is soaking up the attention like he's made of sponge. I roll my eyes at him before moving to sit down at the first open table I see. Gale follows quickly behind, plopping down in the seat to my left. His brother, Lucas, takes the seat across from him. My stomach growls as I look over the food platters that line the table and I'm reminded that I haven't ate since the night before. This just makes everything seem so much more appetizing.

I've just finished eating when a hand lands on my shoulder. I nearly jump out of my skin at the suddenly contact and when I turn around, it takes me a full minute to realize that it's a Dauntless-born that's standing there. His dark hair is cropped short; short enough that the lighting catches on the piercings in his ear whenever he moves. Standing behind him is a girl with fiery-red hair.

"So, _first jumper,_" He slides into the open seat beside me, saying the nickname as if there's some big secret behind it. When he leans close to my face, I can see the mischief gleaming in his eyes.

"That was so very brave of you to go first. I would have never expected it from such a Nose like you."

"It was you, wasn't it?" I ask as I grab at the bottom of my shirt, doing everything I can to refrain from hitting him.

He insists that he doesn't know what I'm talking about, but the grin on his face tells me otherwise. He opens his mouth to say something, but the girl he arrived with grabs his shoulder and says, "Come on, Dimitri. We should be getting back." He stands with a nod, and as he's walking away, I see him send a wink in my direction.

"What was _that_ about?" Gale asks, looking at me over the rim of his cup. I just shake my head.

* * *

After dinner ends, we are lead down a bunch of different hallways by the same grey-eyed Dauntless I had seen earlier in the day. No one asks where Four disappeared to or who he is. No one even talks, actually. He eventually comes to a stop in front of a large wooden door, arms crossing over his chest as he turns to face us. He waits for us to gather around him before speaking.

"My name is Eric, for those of you who don't know. I'm one of the five Dauntless leaders. We take the initiation process very seriously here, so I volunteered to oversee most of your training."

My heart lurches into my throat. He's a leader. I wasn't expecting that.

"We're pretty lenient here in the Dauntless, but we do have some rules," He pauses, glancing around at each and everyone of us. I can see the recognition in his eyes when he stops on me. I shift my gaze down towards my feet. When I finally look back up, he's smirking. "You have to be in the training room by eight o'clock every day; training will take place from eight to six. There will be a break for lunch and after six, you're free to do whatever you like. You'll also have time off in between each stage of initiation and you can only leave the compound when accompanied by a Dauntless."

I glance over at Gale and see that he's frowning, like all the information Eric was unloading on us was particularly hard to comprehend. Maybe it is for him. After all, not every mind works like an Erudite mind.

"Behind this door is the room where you will be sleeping for the next few weeks. There are ten beds, which just so happens to be enough for all of you." I think back to the small Amity girl who had been left behind, to the Candor boy who didn't make it across the roof. I wonder what would have happened if they had made it to the compound, making our group of ten a group of twelve.

"In the first stage of initiation, we keep transfers and Dauntless-born initiates separate. That does not mean we evaluate you separately. At the end of of initiation, your rankings will be determined in comparison with the Dauntless-born initiates."

"_Rankings_?" It's Gale who asks the question, which honestly surprises me. He hasn't said a word since my run in with Dimitri at dinner.

"Rankings serve two purposes. The first is that it determines in which order you will select your jobs after initiation. There are only a desirable positions available, after all. The second purpose is that only the top ten ranking initiates become members."

With that said, I suddenly forget how to breath, how to blink, how to do anything but just stare. His words replay in my head over and over again. Only the top ten ranking initiates become members.

"What?" I breathe, looking up at Gale. He wears the same frown as I do, as every other transfer does.

"There are ten of you, thirteen of them. Five initiates will be cut at the end of stage one. The rest will be cut after the final test," He says it so casually like it's not a big deal. I think it'd hurt less if he just flat out punched us.

"What happens if we get cut?" It's one of the Amity who speaks up this time, the girl specifically.

There is a look of indifference on Eric's face as he answers, "You will leave the compound and live factionless."

There are several outcries, but he just holds up a hand, immediately silencing them.

"You chose us. Now we have to choose you."

* * *

I end up taking the bed the furthest from the door. It's backed up right into the corner and it sort of reminds me of my bedroom back in Erudite. It happened to be the biggest of the three rooms in our apartment. Bookshelves lined each wall from the ceiling to the floor and there was never an empty space to be seen; my mother made sure of that. My heart aches at the memory of my mother. I can't help but miss her. I miss Elizabeth, as well.

"_Hey_."

I roll over at the sound of Gale's voice and prop myself up on my elbow to get a better look at him.

"Yeah?" I ask, frowning at him in the darkness.

He had taken the bed beside mine. I probably would have too if he had gotten to my bed before I did.

"Are you alright? It sounded like you were crying."

Immediately, I reach up and wipe at my cheeks with my palm. It comes away wet. I hadn't even realized I was crying. Did I really miss my family that much? I guess I did.

"Do you regret it? Transferring to Dauntless?"

Life in Erudite was great... at times. I couldn't count on one hand how many times I have been reprimanded for being sarcastic or doing something they considered illogical. The better times were mostly spent with my family, like when we would gather in the kitchen and make hot chocolate or sit and read to each other. Those little moments made up for all the bad days I had.

But did I regret transferring to Dauntless?

No, not exactly.

But I don't get the chance to tell Gale that.

The occupant of the bed across from mine lifts his head and gives me a look that just screams if I dare open my mouth again, I'd regret it. So, I give him a sheepish smile in response and then lower myself down onto my back. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gale roll over. I assume that's the end of the conversation.

I wonder if he'll bring it up in the morning.


End file.
